🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.